AW 16/17 Campaigns That Are Ruling The Fashion Board

Text by Sadaf Shaikh

After combing through thick catalogues and scouring brand websites, we’ve compiled a list of the best fashion campaigns of Fall/Winter 2016. Here’s the low-down on all you need to know about your favourite brands

Chanel

Photographer: Karl Lagerfeld

Cool factor: Karl Lagerfeld decided to mix things up a little for Chanel’s Fall 2016 campaign and in doing so fashioned a delightfully kitsch persona for the brand. This season is all about making a statement against quirky and colorful collages paired with camellias, emoticons, pearls and various textured surfaces. In fact, the myriad backdrops are so visually captivating, you almost find yourself having to seek out the bag. Once you have, that’s Chanel getting a foot in the door.

Gucci

Photographer: Glen Luchford

Cool factor: Steering away from its Spring campaign’s focus on decadence set in Berlin, Gucci opted for a natural canvas for its Fall 2016 campaign in the eccentric subcultures of Tokyo. The campaign captures the city in all its psychedelic glory right from tea houses to pachinko parlours. We especially commend creative director Alessandro Michele’s decision to retain the captions.

Christian Dior

Photographer: Steven Meisel

Cool factor: Hightailing it all the way from couture heaven is Dior’s Fall 2016 campaign. One look at the billowing trench coats and the snug dresses emblazoned with tasteful plant and animal motifs had us reaching for our credit cards almost immediately. We love the whole jetsetting-power-women vibe this collection exudes. In fact, we can almost imagine Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada gawping at this collection very approvingly as she has her Man Friday haul the entire rack back home.

Burberry

Photographer: Mario Testino

Cool factor: For starters, can we say how much we love the adorable illustrations by British artist Luke Edward Hall for Burberry’s Fall 2016 campaign? The brand’s multi-textured patterned bag is clearly the hero this season with the distinction of having every patchwork style named after a British town, street or village. The Fall 2016 campaign of Burberry’s see-now-buy-now strategy which allows customers to buy what they see online, in print and on the catwalk as soon as the runway shows end will surely have us reaching for our wallets long before the showstopper has completed her final strut.

Versace

Photographer: Bruce Weber

Cool factor: While this campaign is currently under fire for its insinuation of teen pregnancy, let’s inspect it from a purely sartorial lens. We love the sporty vibe that runs throughout the collection paired with leather skirts, knitted sweaters and chic handbags. Since fashion is always open to interpretation, we’d rather see it for what Donatella intended it to be – a celebration of youth, professionalism and culture amalgamated with a generous serving of female power. After all, every woman is entitled to look like a million bucks while owning the boardroom and Karlie Kloss does it with minimum effort.

Louis Vuitton

Photographer: Bruce Weber

Cool factor: Maybe Selena Gomez got tired of playing second fiddle to Taylor Swift in the Bad Blood music video and decided she was going to assemble her own crew. Well, she definitely pulled a fast one on Taylor with this posse that gets fashion on point. We also love that this collection gently caresses the past while fully embracing the future with its classic-contemporary sweet spot.

Moschino

Photographer: Steven Meisel

Cool factor: Moschino, in its trademark disruptive manner, unleashes women delinquents onto the streets for some good ol’ fashioned vandalism. Clad in bad-ass biker jackets, statement leather boots and deconstructed dresses juxtaposed with glamorous leather handbags and elbow-length gloves, the women snarl viciously for the camera lens. In fact, it’s almost as if these campaign images are an appreciative prelude to the music video of ‘Run the World’. If you’re looking for an apology or compensation for a broken car window, you’ve come to the wrong neighbourhood, mate.

Givenchy

Photographers: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

Cool factor: We don’t know which army Irina Shayk, Bella Hadid and Lily Aldridge are part of, but we sure wish we could enlist too. While the brand’s structured square leather bag definitely makes a statement, what really has us impressed are the officer-style blazers with the gold braiding.

Marc Jacobs

Photographer: David Sims

Cool factor: In what is touted to be the biggest campaign of Fall 2016, Marc Jacobs astounds with his diverse selection of muses which includes models Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne, and surprise packages Marilyn Manson, Courtney Love and Missy Elliott, among others. With Gothic finery making an appearance throughout the campaign in the form of metallic-feathered bomber jackets, towering black boots and theatrical gowns, the campaign images remind us of everything the Twilight cast should’ve looked like, but failed to.

Dolce and Gabbana

Photographer: Franco Pagetti

Cool factor: The joint forces of the model troops and the equally vibrant non-fashion folks take the streets of Naples by storm, catapulting the fashion house to the forefront of the rat race for ‘Best fashion campaigns of Fall 2016.’ While the authenticity of it all is quite endearing, it comes with an interesting contrast: pieces from other brands like Armani, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy are prominently featured alongside Dolce & Gabbana goods. We are all for valiance and it does take a lot of that trait to feature rival brands in your campaigns.

Christian Louboutin

Photographer: Rene Habermacher

Cool factor: You know how it may seem that wearing sky-high Louboutins warrants doing little other than sitting still? This campaign takes that misconception and hurls it right out of the window. In a showcase of unbridled talent that has star choreographer Bianca Li playing pedagogue to a bunch of blithe students, the short film made us want to perform a merry jig in our heels.

Miu Miu

Photographer: Alasdair McLellan

Cool factor: Capturing a typically hedonistic weekend at the Houghton Hall estate in England, Miu Miu’s Fall 2016 campaign is all about the luxury of self-indulgence. The campaign is a picturesque representation of the archetypes of high society with American actress Amanda Seyfried in the lead. From off-the-shoulder dresses to argyle knits and retro prints, the campaign stands testament to the Miu Miu woman doing it all in style.

Jimmy Choo

Photographer: Craig McDean

Cool factor: We get to see more of the Vinyl star in a far classier avatar in Jimmy Choo’s Fall 2016 campaign and we aren’t complaining. James Jagger embodies the ‘rebellious gentleman’ spirit of the Jimmy Choo man with his rockstar lineage and brooding aura in the brand’s classic Fall styles, such as black leather loafers and crocodile-embossed high top sneakers. You might not have the moves like Jagger, but you can definitely have shoes like Jagger.

The women’s campaign has also been shot against an identical minimalist background with a stellar line-up of models spanning different ages and cultures paying homage to the brand’s philosophy of dynamism in diversity on its 20th anniversary.

Stuart Weitzman

Photographer: Mario Testino

Cool factor: With legs that go on for days, Gigi Hadid once again evokes the green-eyed monster in women across the world. The campaign is a snazzy reminder of the adage ‘Give a girl the right shoes and she can rule the world.’ In this case, we’ve definitely found world-conquering boots.

Ermanno Scervino

Photographer: Peter Lindbergh

Cool factor: Replete with extravagant decadence, model Hana Jirickova makes quotidian activities look so imperial, it almost makes us want to cry real tears while frantically enrolling for a couple of courses on how-to-look-like-a-supermodel-within-the-four-walls-of-your-house. With our without the furry felines.

Prada

Photographer: Craig McDean

Cool factor: Androgyny is the order of the day and few do it better than Eddie Redmayne. His lithe form fits Prada’s sharp lines and tailored outerwear like a glove; close-ups delve into the intricate details of the fashion house’s latest collection. Truth be told, this campaign almost looks like a spin-off version of Redmayne’s Pottermania-resurrecting movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. More like Fantastic-Seams-And-Where-To-Find-Them. We don’t know about the beasts, but you’ll get the latter at Prada.

Emporio Armani

Photographer: Lachlan Bailey

Cool factor: With blacks and greys dominating the collection, Giorgio walks a very thin line between drab and fab. What allows him to cross over to the good side, however, are the vibrant geometric shapes interspersed throughout the collection paired with bags and shoes in punchy colours and metal details. Moreover, the jackets, tops and knitwear seen in the collection are quite capable of making it to your wardrobe as well, scoring quite high on wearability.

Alberta Ferretti

Photographers: Luigi and Iango

Cool factor: Kate Moss once again proves that her charm is eternal and all-transcending. In fact, we’re quite surprised she didn’t damage any of those delicate garments while slipping them on, cutting the fabric on her flawlessly sharp cheekbones. We are totally digging the assortment of textures too, only emphasised with the stark juxtaposition of furs, tweeds and florals. Shot in black and white, a wistful, ethereal appeal runs throughout the collection.

DSquared2

Photographer: Mert & Marcus

Cool factor: Contemporary brand DSquared2’s campaign is a fusion of Victorian fashion interspersed with Samurai designs. The mash-up of styles feature everything from camouflage prints to detailed lace to tassel earrings and embroidered handbags. Each model poses with their hair in slick braids and obtrusive eye makeup. Very Wednesday Adams of DSquared2, if you ask us.

Roberto Cavalli

Photographer: Tim Walker

Cool factor: Paying ode to bohemian couture, Roberto Cavalli’s Fall 2016 campaign dotingly captures models in various poses of languor. With each leisurely pose, the focus is on embellished pantsuits, flouncy maxi dresses, printed tops or no clothes at all. Sensuality and youth served with generous helpings of androgyny will satiate your appetite for unconventional fashion.

Bottega Veneta

Photographer: Viviane Sassen

Cool factor: The suggestive and stark piece of land art in blinding white cement is a breathtaking stage to frame Bottega Veneta’s Fall 2016 collection that is elegant, soft and rich in movement. The long and lean silhouettes effortlessly envelop the bodies of the models, while the fluidity of the softest fabrics, the sophisticated dark yet vibrant palette of peacock blue, royal red and enduring blacks are juxtaposed against the dazzling whiteness of this masterpiece of contemporary artistic landscaping.